Healthy Meal Prep FOR FIT BODIES: Pork Tenderloin

Try the lean protein with a tangy apple sauce, a hearty bean salad, and more.

Nutrition is half the battle for high-performers, and meal prep is a key strategy for achieving success. Takeout is often loaded with extra oils and high in sodium. And studies show that people who spend more time on home food preparation have a higher-quality diet. That’s why we introduced our healthy meal prep series. The plans to follow support Equinox’s nutritional pillars that functional food should be full of nutrients and free of added sugars to make you feel and perform at your best.

One easy way to meal prep is with a high-tech kitchen appliance that will do most of the work for you, which is why sous vide is ideal.

“Pork tenderloin is a very lean cut of meat, which makes it an awesome alternative to chicken breasts when you want something flavorful yet healthy,” says Seattle-based chef Dana Tough of ChefSteps. “And it’s a great choice for sous vide, since the machine lets you cook the protein at the exact temperature required so the tenderloin never gets dry or loses flavor.”

“With fattier meat, like steak or pork shoulder, it’s best to sear it quickly in a hot pan after it cooks to develop a crispy crust. But with leaner cuts, like the tenderloin, I recommend searing for 20 to 30 seconds on each side before you cook it,” says Tough. “This gives the pork more flavor as it cooks. Just heat a pan until it’s very hot, then add the tenderloin and sear for 20 to 30 seconds on each side. Pop it in the sandwich bag to cook, and that’s it.”

Assemble all of the lunches and store in microwave-safe containers in the fridge. We recommend keeping each pork tenderloin in whole pieces until just before you assemble the meal at work to keep it as juicy as possible. START PACKING